Shinta
by Mononoke-hime x sukai kurora
Summary: Unknown to most of the world, Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki had a daughter. Her tiny face and voice was the last thing he had been aware of as he died.


_Shinta_

As he died, Nagato remembered when his daughter, Shinta, was born. It had been a rainy day in Amegakure, but somehow the rain stopped when a newborn cry had entered the air. Nagato had been with Konan as she labored. His skeleton-like hand had been entwined in hers. Neither of them had thought they would have been able to conceive a child. With Nagato's limited mobility and weakened state, it was a miracle that they could engage in sexual intercourse. It had been many years since Yahiko died, and Nagato had wondered if Konan still loved him. But he remembered the love oozing out of her golden orbs as they passionately embraced, and he finally allowed himself to smile out of pure joy. The two lovers had been partners since they were children, and even before Konan realized that his sperm had fertilized her egg, Nagato knew. Both soon-to-be parents were grateful that Akatsuki had separated; otherwise how would their leader explain Konan's plumping form, her frequent absences when her morning sickness came, and now, on their absence on the first of March? The Deva Path was guarding the doorway to the room to prevent any unwelcome intruders from coming in. The only civilian who was in that room was Yoshiro Natsuki, a trusted follower of Nagato's ideologies and his lover's midwife. Nagato remembered when his daughter took her first breath. It had filled the room, and her cries steadily became quiet as Natsuki handed the infant to her mother.

The first noticeable trait Nagato observed was the child's hair color. Dark red hair covered his daughter's head, still slick from the birthing fluids. Her hair was exactly the same style and color as his, and as she opened her tiny eyes, Nagato noticed that his daughter had inherited her mother's golden eyes.

"Shinta," he whispered, causing Konan to turn around slightly. Her blue hair was askew and coated in sweat, but Nagato thought she had never looked more beautiful. "Our daughter's name will be Shinta, after my mother." A respectful silence filled the room, and Nagato remembered the woman who had sacrificed her own life to save his own. Tears streaked down his cheeks, but they weren't from pain or sadness. They were from happiness.

Shinta had been a bright child from the very start. She had learned to walk faster than any infant Nagato had seen, and her smile was bright with warmth. _Like my own smile used to be, _Nagato had thought as Shinta walked toward him. For safety purposes, Shinta had not stayed long with her mother and father after her birth. She had been fed, clothed, and cared for by various followers of her father's. Every week she had to be moved to another location. _"People say that she is the happiest when she visits us," _Konan had told Nagato shortly before she had left with the Deva Path. He still remembered her smile as she lovingly gazed at their daughter. _"She especially is happiest with you." _Konan did have a point. Shinta didn't seem to notice that her father was immobile and that he was bound to a mechanical walker. Her dark red hair had grown over Shinta's eyes, but somehow the one year old had no trouble seeing him. Nagato remembered fondly of how her first word had to been _"otosan_,_"_ and of how she always respectfully listened to his stories. Although young, Shinta understood her father more than any adult shinobi or kunoichi would – except for Konan. She already knew about pain and loneliness. _"I miss you and Okasan_," she had whispered to him morosely once at age two. It had been before the invasion of Konohagakure, and this would be one of the last times that Nagato and Konan would see their daughter for a while. _"I want us to be together forever." _Although her speech and intellect were par with a genin, Shinta was still a child and longed for stability. She wanted to live with her parents. Nagato remembered the last conversation he had with her. _"Pain exists in all forms, Shin-chan. There is no way to stop it. Someday you will lose us, and feel the pain Konan and I have felt since were children." _Nagato remembered the confusion in her eyes. Suddenly, Nagato reached out to Shinta and embraced her in his emancipated arms. He felt the child's surprise, for he had never done this before. But she didn't let go. _"Always remember, Shinta, your mother and I will watch over you wherever you are. Maybe our love will fill in the gap in your heart." _Nagato remembered how he had bitterly smiled. _"Maybe you won't become a failure like me and find true peace. No matter where you are, you are always an Amegakure child." _

_"Otosan?" _Nagato felt his life slipping away as he parted his last words to Uzumaki Naruto. He felt Shinta's warmth caress his own cold body, warming him for the last time.

_"Hai?"_

_ "I love you." _He felt her smile.

_"I love you too, Shin-chan." _Her tiny face was the last thing Nagato remembered as his life faded into another world.

Nagato's last thought was not of Naruto, not of Konan, Yahiko, or of Jiraiya-sensei, but of Shinta.

_…Shin...ta…_


End file.
